Rajasthan: Administration, Schemes and Current Affairs

1. Government Structure and Panchayati Raj

Rajasthan follows the same parliamentary system as other Indian states, with a Governor, a Chief Minister and an elected Assembly. It also has a special place in the history of Panchayati Raj. This lesson gives the state-specific facts that exams ask.

Legislature, executive and judiciary

• Rajasthan has a unicameral legislature: the Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) has 200 members. There is no Legislative Council; a proposal for one was passed by the Assembly in 2012 but has not been created by Parliament.
• Rajasthan sends 25 members to the Lok Sabha and 10 members to the Rajya Sabha.
• The Rajasthan High Court has its principal seat at Jodhpur (set up in 1949) and a bench at Jaipur.
• The capital is Jaipur. Jaipur was chosen as the capital in 1949.
• Hiralal Shastri was the first head of the popular government of Greater Rajasthan (1949). Mohan Lal Sukhadia was the longest-serving Chief Minister, and Vasundhara Raje was the first woman Chief Minister (2003).

Present office holders (October 2026)

• Governor: Haribhau Kisanrao Bagde, in office since 31 July 2024.
• Chief Minister: Bhajan Lal Sharma (BJP), sworn in on 15 December 2023. He is the MLA from Sanganer.
• Deputy Chief Ministers: Diya Kumari (also Finance Minister) and Prem Chand Bairwa.
• Speaker of the Assembly: Vasudev Devnani. Leader of the Opposition: Tika Ram Jully (Congress).
• The last Assembly election was held in November 2023; the next is due in 2028.

Panchayati Raj in Rajasthan

• Rajasthan was the first state in India to start Panchayati Raj. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated it at Nagaur on 2 October 1959.
• It followed the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1957), which recommended a three-tier system: Gram Panchayat (village), Panchayat Samiti (block) and Zila Parishad (district).
• Andhra Pradesh was the second state to start it, later in 1959.
• The present law is the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, passed after the 73rd Constitutional Amendment.
• Panchayat and municipal elections are held by the Rajasthan State Election Commission.

Important state bodies

• Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC): set up in 1949, headquartered at Ajmer.
• Rajasthan Staff Selection Board (RSSB): headquartered at Jaipur; conducts CET and Group C exams.
• Board of Revenue for Rajasthan and the Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan (RBSE) are both at Ajmer.
• Rajasthan has a Lokayukta to look into complaints against public servants, set up under a 1973 Act.

💡 Write '200 - 25 - 10' on top of your notes page: Assembly seats, Lok Sabha seats and Rajya Sabha seats. Add 'Nagaur, 2 Oct 1959' below it. These four numbers are asked again and again.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

2. State Schemes and Investment

Schemes are a favourite topic in Rajasthan exams. Learn the name, the target group and the main benefit of each. Scheme names change when governments change, so always use the latest name.

Health and social security

• Mukhyamantri Ayushman Arogya Yojana (MAA Yojana): the state health scheme, earlier called the Chiranjeevi Yojana. It gives cashless treatment cover of up to Rs 25 lakh per family per year.
• Under MAA, poorer and priority families (such as NFSA families and small and marginal farmers) are covered free; other residents can join by paying a yearly premium.
• The scheme works with the Centre's Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, and MAA beneficiaries can get treatment in empanelled hospitals outside the state.
• Shri Annapurna Rasoi Yojana (earlier Indira Rasoi) gives cheap cooked meals in towns.
• The CM Old Age Samman Pension Yojana is one of the largest social welfare items in the state budget.

Girls, women and youth

• Lado Protsahan Yojana (from 1 August 2024): a girl born in a government or approved hospital gets Rs 1.5 lakh in 7 instalments up to graduation and age 21. The last instalment of Rs 1 lakh is paid at graduation and age 21.
• The instalments are linked to birth, vaccination and school admission in Classes 1, 6, 10 and 12. In 2025 the scheme was extended to girls studying in recognised private schools.
• Mukhyamantri Lakhpati Didi Yojana helps women of self-help groups earn at least Rs 1 lakh a year; the 2026-27 budget raised the loan limit to Rs 1.5 lakh.
• Mukhyamantri Yuva Swarojgar scheme (Budget 2026-27): 100% interest subsidy on loans up to Rs 10 lakh for self-employment, aimed at about 1 lakh youth.

Investment: Rising Rajasthan

• The Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit was held in Jaipur from 9 to 11 December 2024. The Prime Minister inaugurated it.
• MoUs (agreements) worth over Rs 35 lakh crore were signed, according to the state government.
• Energy, mining, petrochemicals, tourism and manufacturing were among the main sectors.
• The state promotes investment through policies on industry, solar energy and tourism, and through the Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO).

💡 Make a three-column table for schemes: name, who benefits, how much. If a question gives an amount like 'Rs 25 lakh' or 'Rs 1.5 lakh', you should be able to name the scheme at once.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

3. Rajasthan Current Affairs 2025-2026

Current affairs questions in Rajasthan exams usually cover the state budget, new projects, elections, protected areas and state events of the last year or so. Here are the key Rajasthan events of 2025 and 2026, stated as facts. Keep updating this list from news before your exam.

2025

• 2025: the state government decided to celebrate Rajasthan Day on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada of the Hindu calendar instead of the fixed date of 30 March.
• 4 June 2025: Khichan (Phalodi) and Menar (Udaipur) wetlands were added to the Ramsar list, raising Rajasthan's Ramsar sites to four.
• 25 September 2025: the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project at Banswara, along with many other projects.
• The Lado Protsahan Yojana was extended to girls in recognised private schools.

2026: budget and events

• 11 February 2026: Deputy CM Diya Kumari presented the 2026-27 budget, about Rs 6.11 lakh crore including debt repayment, with a fiscal deficit target of 3.7% of GSDP.
• Budget announcements included the Rajasthan State Testing Agency, the Mukhyamantri Yuva Swarojgar scheme, an ultra-luxury tourism zone at Khuri (Jaisalmer) and a Yamuna water project for Shekhawati.
• 19 March 2026: Rajasthan Day was celebrated on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, with the main state function at Jalore.
• 4 July 2026: the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery at Pachpadra (Balotra) was inaugurated after many years of delay.

2026: elections and exams

• The State Election Commission announced elections to 309 urban local bodies on 19 August 2026; voting was held in two phases on 9 and 11 September 2026, and counting was on 14 September.
• On 3 October 2026 the State Election Commission announced panchayat elections in four phases. Voting for Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members is on 23 and 29 October and 4 and 14 November 2026; panch and sarpanch polls follow two days after each phase.
• Revised CET dates (tentative): Senior Secondary level 1 to 3 December 2026, moved from October because of the panchayat polls; Graduation level 16 to 18 January 2027.

💡 Every week, note one Rajasthan news item under three heads: who, what, where. In the last month before the exam, read only this list and the budget highlights.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.